The nation's weather

Strong thunderstorms will move into the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday as the major storm system over the Eastern Valleys moves eastward into the Central Appalachians.

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean will aid in producing numerous bands of rain and thunderstorms from the eastern Gulf Coast through the Mid-Atlantic. Storms in the Mid-Atlantic will have the potential to turn severe with damaging winds and possible tornadoes during the afternoon. Moisture will also spread northward into the Northeast and New England areas triggering a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow. The combination of expected significant precipitation and snow melt will increase the threat for additional ice jams and flooding in the East.

As the storm moves eastward, colder air will move in behind it, dropping temperatures in the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Temperatures near the freezing mark may set the stage for snow showers in the northern Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes.

In the West, a Pacific cold front will push through the Pacific Northwest and northern California with rain showers and high elevation snow. Showers are expected to reach southward down to the San Francisco Bay Area during the day. Precipitation from this disturbance will spread inland through the day, reaching areas from the Northern Rockies through the northern Sierra Nevadas by the evening.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a morning low of -17 degrees at Clayton Lake, Maine, to a high of 89 degrees at McAllen, Texas.